Suicide Squad unlikely to get China release for being too dark and violent

Ghostbusters and Pirates of the Caribbean have also been banned from the country in the past

Suicide Squad is unlikely to get a release in China because of its dark tone and relentless violence.

David Ayer’s supervillain movie lands in cinemas worldwide today after months of marketing and hype, but is yet to receive a release date in China.

Warner Bros is not commenting on speculation that Chinese fans will not be able to see the film in cinemas, despite a strong comic book fanbase in the country, but as the China Film Group usually confirms release dates at least two months before a movie opens, it seems improbable that it will get one now.

Suicide Squad, which follows a group of villains who agree to undertake black-op missions for the government in exchange for clemency, stars Margot Robbie, Will Smith, Cara Delevingne and Jared Leto.

There is gunfire and explosions aplenty, which led director Mike Birbiglia to question why it was given a PG-13 rating when his new comedy Don’t Think Twice landed the more restrictive R for showing adults smoking weed.

“Suicide Squad has machine gun killings and bombings and got a PG-13 rating,” he wrote on Twitter. “Don’t Think Twice gets an R because adults smoke pot. Confusing?” In a now-deleted follow-up message on the social media platform, he said: “F**k the MPAA”.

Comedy director Judd Apatow chimed in. “Studios own the ratings board,” he wrote. “Violence sells so they make pot and sex the scary thing so they seem caring. Birbiglia replied: “That makes a lot of sense and is insane.”

Suicide Squad is not the only movie to be considered inappropriate for release by China’s censorship board. Paul Feig’s Ghostbusters reboot was banned from the country because films that “promote cult or superstition” are not allowed. Releases including Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest and Crimson Peak, both of which feature ghostly elements, have also been banned in the past.

Suicide Squad is expected to be a box office smash despite an almost unanimous panning from film critics.